Titanic Offspring by Nancy Conner, PhD

Next came the most famous of Gaia's children — the twelve Titans and Titanesses, six sons and six daughters. Although you have read about numerous deities so far, these beings weren't actually considered “gods” and “goddesses.” They held power but as the personification of an element or a division of the universe. The Titans and Titanesses would become the first gods and goddesses. These six sons of Gaia and Uranus were the Titans:

Coeus: Not much is known about Coeus except that he was the father of Leto, who became the mother of Apollo and Artemis.

Crius: He was the father of Astraeus, Pallas, and Perses.

Cronus: The youngest Titan, Cronus overthrew his father — more on this struggle later.

Hyperion: The first god of the sun, Hyperion later sired Helios, who is the god most commonly associated with the sun.

Iapetus: Best known as the father of Prometheus, the champion of mankind, he also sired Epimetheus, Menoetius, and Atlas.

Oceanus: The eldest of the Titans, Oceanus was the god of rivers.

These six daughters were the Titanesses:

Mnemosyne: The personification of memory, she gave birth to the Muses.

Phoebe: The first goddess of the moon, Phoebe was the mother of Leto.

Rhea: A mother deity or earth goddess, Rhea was called the Mother of the Gods because she gave birth to the Olympians.

Tethys: The first goddess of the sea, she gave birth to many children, including 3,000 daughters (yes, you read that right), called the Oceanids.

Theia: This Titaness is best known for giving birth to Helios, Selene, and Eos.

Themis: Goddess of necessity, Themis was the mother of Prometheus, the Hours, and (according to some myths) the Fates.